The 33 Petrova Ave. property is seen in September 2024. (Enterprise photo — Aaron Marbone)

SARANAC LAKE — The village board is holding a special meeting today at noon to vote on contracts for environmental and geotechnical studies on the 33 Petrova Ave. property, where the village is proposing a public safety building for its fire, rescue and police departments.

Mayor Jimmy Williams said these studies should give the board and the public some solid answers on certain issues, instead of relying on speculation.

Williams said trustees and the public have both said the process is taking too long. A couple days before and after the board’s last meeting on Aug. 11, consultants at the Wendel Architecture, Engineering, Surveying and Landscape Architecture firm made their recommendations for the companies to use. Williams said he called for a special meeting to not delay this part of the first phase of the project design.

Members of the pubic have told the village they should come up with funding for the project before starting to design it. But Williams said that’s not the way things work in the grant world. Studies need to be done before certain grant applications can be submitted. Many of them want to see “shovel-ready” projects to support.

Both companies recommended were the low bids in the village’s requests for proposal.

The funding for both contracts would come from the village’s Public Services Facility Reserve Account.

If approved, the public would have 30 days to seek a permissive referendum if they oppose the expenditure.

“The petition for a referendum would need to have 5% or no less than 100 electors (registered voters in last general election) for a population of 5,000,” Village Clerk Amanda Hopf said in an email.

If a permissive referendum is called for, it would be determined by a simple majority vote by the public.

The meeting on these contracts will be held at noon in the village board room on the third floor of the Harrietstown Town Hall at 43 Main St. The meeting will also be streamed on Zoom at tinyurl.com/34xedw43 or using the meeting ID 879 8032 3855.

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The firms

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Plattsburgh-based KAS Environmental Science and Engineering is recommended for the Phase 1 Environmental Site Assessment and mold-related services. Its bid came in at $2,500, half the price of the bid from the only other firm that responded.

KAS would evaluate potential environmental conditions through historic and environmental documents, photographs, interviews with people who know the property and a visual review of surrounding properties for potential environmental impact.

KAS estimates it can complete its assessment within three to four weeks from when it starts.

This assessment is part of the State Environmental Quality Review required in the design process.

The environmental study is needed for the village to officially get the $4.5 million federal grant it got through Congressionally directed spending requested by North Country Rep. Elise Stefanik.

KAS previously completed a hazardous materials survey of asbestos at the building in 2023.

The contract talks about a mold study add-on, but Williams said they’re not taking it at this time. It will be a long time until there’s action at the property, so he said it makes more sense for the village to address mold closer to then.

Albany-based Collier’s Engineering and Design is recommended for the geotechnical study.

Out of five firms that responded, Collier’s $31,400 bid was the least expensive by a bit, and promised the shortest time span — one to two weeks to mobilize and four weeks to complete the report.

Wendel recommended them based on their qualifications, responsiveness, proposed schedule and cost.

The firm would study the soil and ground to assess the land’s allowable bearing capacity. The project proposes the construction of a new single-story garage to hold heavy vehicles like fire trucks.

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The project

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The village needs new facilities for its volunteer fire department, volunteer rescue squad and police department. Most everyone in town agrees on that. There’s been fierce debate over where those facilities should be. The village has proposed a unified complex for the three at the site of the former St. Pius X High School at 33 Petrova Ave., putting all emergency services in one building.

This plan has been contentious with neighbors and some others in the community, who from the beginning have opposed the size, cost and location of the building.

This is a big project for the village, and an expensive one.

The total cost is currently estimated at $27.5 million. The village will have a down payment of grant money and saved-up fund money to put toward that cost, and would then pay off the rest over a long period of time through loans called bonds.

The previous village administration earmarked $2.5 million for the project in 2022. Williams said that account has accrued $200,000 in interest so far and sits at $2.7 million now.

So far, $700,000 has been spent from this account for the purchase of the property and the first phase of design. This leaves around $2 million of village money set aside for the project.

The project has been awarded $200,500 through a Volunteer Fire Infrastructure grant through the state Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services.

It has also received two grants from the state Energy Research and Development Authority, which can be used on projects villagewide, potentially including the EMS building — a $275,000 grant for energy savings upgrades and a $500,000 grant for designing geothermal heating/cooling systems.

Last summer, the village board approved a $340,000 contract with the architecture firm Wendel Architecture, Engineering, Surveying and Landscape Architecture for design work as part of a broader $1.78 million contract.

Currently, the building is sized at having a 38,890-square-foot first floor with a 24,235-square-foot crawl space. Initial plans called for around 30,000 square feet of garage additions.

Leadership at the fire, rescue and police departments has been working with Wendel to cut down the footprint of the building by around 10,000 square feet.

The three departments currently take up 17,746 square feet in their separate locations. The consultants put the estimated space need for the three departments in the next 20 years — to improve their current situations and be prepared for the future of emergency response — at 67,000 square feet.

Critics of the project have called it “oversized” and have voiced concerns about the village’s transparency with such a large project.

More information on these concerns can be found at tinyurl.com/5bz2kfxs.